Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-12-10
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE NATIVES VERY LOW IN THE
SCALE OF eAR3ARlsM.

a Native Girl Digging LOT foou~'"tA
an:l ClothIng-Disgusting Contents OF a
kangaroo Skin-Cruelty to Women
Life in the Bush.
It has been reported at different times TINT
many of the natives on the northeastern
coast of Australia are cannibals, but this
charge has mover been brought against even
the worst of tho west Australian blacks.
They arc hidcous race, and about rs low in
the scale of civilization as it is possible TO go.
To sec native girl digging in the ground
for tlalgcits and boobies tthe:. Games for two
kinds of small burrowinG nafsupials, tas
flesh of which they esteem very highly,
crouching on her launches and breaking
away tho earth with long stick III ono hand,
while with the nails and fingers of the other
hand she throws it behind her, for all tho
world like dog burrowing after q rat, is as
disgusting sight as it is possible for man
and brother to behold, unless it be to see
her lord and master lying asleep and, if he
had the opportunity of getting grog, drunk
in the hut close by, with perhaps two or
thrco old hags, couple of half starved kan
yaroo hounds and of skins, opossunl
romans and filth, which makes one turn
away with loathing from tho scene.
The nuts which they build for themselves
arc the most temporary and toughest kind Of
constructions. A few large branches leaning
together in the shape of round hut, covered
sometimes with strips of bark Off the paper
bark tree that affords tough and fibrous
covering, and only large enough for three or
Il al, thn,-
90 Such is their idea of "home."
The utmost limit Of their clothing in tho
bush is kangaroo skin cloak and band of
hair which they tie around their heads to
Keep their own swarthy locks out of their
eyes. Ii tho north and where white men are
scarce they go entirely naked, and appear to
be without the sense of shame. Every nun
has the right to three or four wives and they
generally have them of very various ages
An old gray haired man often las wife Of
IL years old among Others 1t is. of course,
rather stretch Of language to cau them
wives, for they have no kind of marriage
ceremony, and are as often secured by ab-
tluction as by purchase. This way of win
ming a wife is naturally conducive to. con-
slant fighting, which forms large part Of
owing to the low value set upon women's
lives, that scx (which it is really impossible
N this connection to speak of Us the fair SEX
IS scarce.
They cat any kind of food they can lay
their hands upon, meat of any kind, Of
course, and no matter how stale, tho fat and
entra;ls quite uncookcd and the remainder
,carcely more prepared. Snakes, lizards,
frogs, white ants, grubs of almost any kind
and the bodies of some kinds Of moths they
esteem highly. The women, who always
have to do anything in the way Of carrying
that has to be done, carry their babies
pickaninics slung over their backs in kan
CARGO skin If woman has not got baby
to carry, or sometimes even if she has, she
carries bag made of the same material, the
contents of which constitute their only food
against future want. 1t is an awful thing to
see the contents of this bag The writer has
seen two women, who had como up to IN
Australian station to beg for food, given tho
remains of rice pudding in pudding DISH
The one who carried the bag took it down
Off her shoulders and gravely began to un-
load ton top, perhaps, two or three crusts
% bread, green with mold, then n piece Of
raw meat half putrcfied; an old tobacco pipe;
an opossum's skin; somo red clay, little
greasy. black hair; and Mt last very dirty
piece of an old flannel shirt was reached.
This, which was about foot square, was
spread carefully on the ground The contents
of the pudding dish were scooped into it with
amost filthy hand. Itwas neatly and Gravely
folded up and put back il the bottom Of the
bag, and then the other valuables were re-
placed OH top of it.
And yet, though SO degraded, they are far
from useless, these creatures They make
tolerably good shepherds, can be Taught to
use their hands skillfully in any way that is
desired, and tho good ones among them may
be trusted to do things that many white
man would not do well and conscicntiously.
Settlers will send their horses long distances
in charge of ''blackfcllow, and sheep, too,
are often intrustcd to them to drive to OUT
lying stations OF down into the town to mar
ket
Even thoseof them who have been brought
most near to state of civilization require
every now and then a month in savage
state in the bush, and after working, perhaps
about tho stable yard, in clothes, and appear
ing quito domesticated for months together,
they will suddenly inform their employer,
'Me walkaway morning." which is equiva-
lent to saying that they require holiday.
And noxt morning they may be seen airily
clad in q single kangaroo skin, their black
hair all stained red and clotted with horri-
bic mixture of red clay and grease called
"wilgic,n and carrying q small shield, couple
of srcars and as many boomorangs Tor keileys
as they call thcn), setting out for month
in the woods with three or four more OF their
tribe.
When natives arc out in the bush it is nee
essary for them always to go fully armed, for
almost every native of another tribe is their
enemy to the death, and thcy arc broken up
into great number of tribes. If native Of
ono tribe dies member of another tribe has
to be killed. This is the nearest thing they
have to any religious code, and it is in vain
that white men have tried to STAMP out the
savage custom. Their principal weapon of
oiTense is the spear, the Low and arrow being
quite unknown among them.
They have no ideas, however rudimentary,
of a creator or supreme being, and the only
consciousness of the supernatural which they
seem to have is n fear of evil spirits; these
they appear to associate with dead people
who have been left unburicd They attribute
all illness to the Vaccinations of these bad
spirits.
They are very cruel to their women
rsGins," as they call them, making them
build the huts and carry flrewood, and DO all
the work there is to DO, and spcaring them
through the leg or cruelty beating them on
the very slightest provocation.
Girl babies they often kill. On the day OF
the writer's arrival OH one station sheep and
cattle ranches are called stations" III Aus
tralia), he was shown a little black picka-
niny, only week old, as curiosity, and q
most strange looking inllunian little animal
it was. The following morning some of the
gins, who came up to the house each morning
to beg for tea, announced quite calmly that
Monkey (the baby's father was Going to l,ill
,iokaainv The owner Of the station. w''d